Architects & Engineers
- Ideal bid time is at 7:00pm on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. (If 7:00pm is a problem, Architect could receive and hold bids for public opening next morning.) Small projects could bid during the day.
- Keep alternates at a minimum and keep them simple.
- Make sure enough plans are available for everyone to use.
- Require listing of Subcontractors and Suppliers two (2) business hours after notification of award.
- If low bid is over budget, negotiate with low bidder only. (Negotiating with other bidders is nothing more than bid shopping.
- Allow reasonable construction time for the project. (Having two (2) different construction times on bid form can be confusing.)
- Addenda should be issued a minimum of three (3) working days prior to bid time.
- If certain General Contractors or Subcontractors will not be used, notify them prior to bidding.
- If Owner intends to use a specific Subcontractor(s) or Supplier(s), make it known before bidding.
- Forget Qualification Statements if they will not be used.
- As much as possible use a standard “Bid Form.”
- Use a standard “Request for Substitution During Bidding” form. Be consistent on material substitutions and approving “or equal to” items.
- As much as possible, use standard “Application for Payment” form.
- Liquidated Damages: If liquidated damages are unreasonable, contractors will include it in their bid and Owner ends up paying for the liquidated damages.